


Love, Lies, and Distrust

by HemaG



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22108339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HemaG/pseuds/HemaG
Summary: The butterfly effect states that what might seem like a tiny, inconsequential change or action can lead to large differences in how events play out.What if, on a certain fateful day, a different decision had taken place? What if, instead of breaking into her bathroom and killing her, Leon alerted the other students about Sayaka’s attempt? How would that change the events of the killing game, and maybe even beyond?And can Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation, regain anyone’s trust?
Relationships: Maizono Sayaka & Naegi Makoto, Maizono Sayaka/Naegi Makoto, Naegi Makoto & Owada Mondo, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 18
Kudos: 67





	1. Prologue

Sayaka Maizono knew that this was the end.

Her plan failed. It failed horribly. She shouldn’t have tried it. The only thing standing between her and her future killer was a flimsy wooden door, which was bound to be forced open sooner or later.

She shouldn’t have attacked Leon like that, to get out of this hellish place, to get back to her bandmates, her friends…

Her friends, huh…. She’ll never find out what happened to them after all. She’ll never know what happened to their group. Knowing the idol industry, they’ll be forgotten, alongside her….

Her idol career…. It was everything she worked forever since she was a little girl. She just wanted to make people smile the same way the idols on TV made her smile, and even though the industry didn’t turn out to be what she expected, she still really enjoyed putting on a show in front of a crowd....how did it get to this? How did she get trapped inside Hope’s Peak Academy by a monochrome bear, who told them to kill each other to escape? Kind of sounds like….

A dream. A dream! It has to be a dream. There’s no way something this outlandish would have happened in real life. Anytime now, she’s going to wake up and go back to the normal life of Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation…. She’ll get back to performing, and making people happy again… that has to be it. If this was actually real life, the authorities would have found them by now, especially considering her status. Everything she experienced in this school has been just fiction, a delusion. But in that case…

The pain. Her wrist hurts, it hurts so much. Is it possible to experience this kind of pain in a dream without waking up? No, this has to be real. As much as she wanted it to be fake, she knew it was just a futile hope. The pain she was feeling was proof of that. Taking a look at her wrist, she noticed it was coated in sticky golden flakes, definitely originating from the sword Leon defended himself with.

That sword...it was the reason that her plan failed. Leon used it to block her attack. Had it not been there, she would have managed to successfully stab him...she regretted getting the sword. She never should have told Mako-

Makoto! What if everyone thinks that he was the one who attacked her? After all, this is his room….it was all her fault, everything is. She tricked him, she betrayed him, betrayed everyone. 

She heard footsteps getting louder. She doesn’t have much time left in this world. She doesn’t want to die. Death was frightening. But it’s something she’s gonna have to accept. Leon has come to kill her. To take his revenge, and try to escape this place. And all the suspicion will be on Makoto…..but…..the footsteps sound weird. It sounded as if Leon wasn’t walking alone, but that other people were accompanying him...suddenly, she started hearing voices on the other side of the bathroom door.

“Dude, no matter what you say, I call bullshit! No way a girl like that would attack you!”

“I’m telling you, man, that crazy bitch attacked me with a fucking kitchen knife! If it wasn’t for blind luck, I would’ve been dead!”

“While Maizono does seem very nice, in manga it’s always the so-called “nice girls” that end up being knife-wielding serial killers! So this shouldn’t have come across as a surprise.”

“S-serial killers? There can’t p-possibly be a serial killer in this s-school, can there?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Leon, you better not have brought me here for no reason”

“Yeah, yeah, I know...just need to force open this door to see that fucking bitch’s-”

“Ah, actually, the door isn’t locked. You just gotta open it a certain way…”

Sayaka felt her heart beat faster and faster as she recognized the voices on the other side of the bathroom door. Mondo, Leon, Hifumi, Toko, Byakuya and...Makoto. The doorknob started shuffling, and she prepared herself for the worst.

The door opened, and Sayaka was now face to face with the 14 other ultimate students in this school, which include a furious Leon and a Makoto who looked at her with scared, terrified eyes. Of course he would be scared of her, he just saw how much of a monster she was, how much of a horrible person she can be….

A few minutes ago, Sayaka Maizono feared death. But now, she might actually have preferred it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this is pretty short as it’s only a prologue. The actual chapters should hopefully be quite a bit longer than this.


	2. Makoto I: A bitter truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Makoto has to acknowledge an unfortunate truth.

Considering the circumstances, Makoto Naegi was having a perfectly peaceful sleep that night. Sure, he was very worried about the video shown to him, as well as Sayaka’s safety, but, perhaps because he was in Sayaka’s room tonight, he was able to find it in him to relax and sleep well that night. At least, until…

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

He was woken up from his restful sleep by loud, frantic knocking on the door. Groaning, he sat on the bed, then quickly stood up and headed towards the source of the sound. As he was reaching for the doorknob in order to open the door, his hand hovered over it, as he suddenly recalled the events of yesterday night, and what lead to the room switching in the first place.

_ “Makoto ...please be careful. If someone comes to the door, don’t open it no matter what.” _

He could hear Sayaka’s voice, clear as day, in his head. Could the person who was knocking on the door be the same person that tried to force their way into Sayaka’s room? After all, he was staying in her room; maybe the aggressor came to try to finish the job.

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

Makoto tried to ignore the pounding at the door, as he gathered his thoughts. So that’s what Sayaka was scared of. In that case, it’s good that he agreed to the room switch. He promised to protect her, after all, and to make sure that she escapes from this school safe and sound. And he was going to be keeping that promise, no matter what. He tried blocking the loud sound coming from the door in order to think of ways to deter the attacker, but to no avail.

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

It was persistent. He could sense the desperation, hopelessness, in the knocks. That caused him to hesitate. What if...it was not the attacker? What if it was Sayaka herself, trying to escape from them after they somehow managed to get into his room? He couldn’t just leave her to die. Conflicting thoughts popped up in his head. Does he stay put, listening to Sayaka’s instructions, but potentially leave her to die? Or does he open the door, hoping that it’s Sayaka, but disobeying his promise to her and potentially putting himself in danger?

He looked around the room, hoping to find a weapon to defend himself with. No success. If only Sayaka was the one to take the golden sword instead of insisting for him to take it…It’s too late for that now. Making up his mind, he placed his trembling hand on the doorknob, and opened the door, only to find himself face-to-face with…

  
  


Leon Kuwata, the ultimate baseball star. He didn’t have a weapon with him, though, and a bunch of other people were accompanying him, so Makoto relaxed slightly as he felt some of the tension dissipate. It wasn’t an attacker.

“Dude, what took you so long?” Leon shouted in an abrasive, but worried voice. “For a second, I thought you were a goner!”

Feeling relieved that it wasn’t someone out to kill him, but still nervous due to the weird situation, Makoto scratched his cheek as he spoke. “I thought it was an attacker, at first. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize. Hell, this just shows that you’re smarter than this guy.” Junko said, pointing her thumb at Leon. “Apparently, he got attacked, which is why he’s waking us all up at this hour.”

Makoto felt a lump in his chest. So it was Sayaka’s attacker, most likely. Not being able to get to her, they instead targeted someone else. He looked at the baseball star, and only now did he notice the sweat on his face, his shaking hands, his pale complexion, and his scared eyes. He wasn’t lying.

“Yeah...thankfully, I managed to drive that bitch off, but I was seriously scared, man...So I decided to call for backup, you know? Corner her.” Leon said. His voice was slightly wavering, but he seems to be able to hold himself together.

So, the attacker’s a girl? Makoto frowned. Who could it be? Was it Kyoko? Toko? Sakura, or Hina? He couldn’t see their faces in the crowd. No...he shouldn’t suspect his friends right now. For now, what matters is Sayaka’s safety. 

“I see. Leon, I’ll help you in waking everyone up, alright? I’ll see what I can do.” With those words, Makoto stepped out and walked through the doorway, only to find that the door to his room, which Sayaka stayed the night in, was ajar. Guess she was already woken up, and she’s probably somewhere in these hallways. Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. She’s probably safe from the attacker.

As Makoto walked across the hallway, he came across Celestia Ludenberg knocking on Sakura’s door, with a very annoyed look on her face. What has her all worked up?

“Celeste? Are you okay?” He said, hoping to get her attention.

Upon hearing his voice, she turned around, put her hands together, and forced a smile on her face. “Oh no, everything is going quite perfectly! I’m definitely not annoyed that I’ve been knocking at the door for over twenty minutes, with no response.” She stated, in a very passive-aggressive tone. She was probably much more annoyed than she let on.

“O-oh, I see…” Makoto looked at the sign next to the door. Sakura Ogami either is not responding, or...she wasn’t in her room. He recalled Leon’s words about the attacker being female. Could Sakura be the one he was referring to? He didn’t want to believe it, but…

As much as he wanted to help Celeste, Makoto wanted to check up on Sayaka, too, so he turned around and found himself in front of Hina’s dorm. He didn’t recall seeing her in the hallway either, so he knocked on the door three times. Slowly, the doorknob turned, but it did not reveal Aoi Asahina like he thought it would. Instead…

Sakura Ogami stepped out of the room, an intimidating, imposing figure. Instinctively, Makoto stepped back.

“What do you want?” She demanded. She didn’t seem to be in the best of moods, judging by her tone of voice.”

Makoto opened his mouth, ready to explain, but a voice cut him off right behind him.

“So you were here the entire time, mademoiselle Ogami? And I was knocking at your door for the past half hour, too! Pray tell…. _ Where is Aoi Asahina, and what are you doing in that girl’s room? _ ” Celeste’s voice rang out from behind Makoto, almost making him jump. He could feel the annoyance, the viciousness, coming from her voice. She really was  _ that  _ annoyed, huh?

As Sakura was about to answer, her voice, too, was cut off by someone behind her. “I’m here, I’m here! Don’t worry about me!” Aoi Asahina’s voice sounded. Apparently, she was hiding behind Sakura this entire time. It was hard to notice.

Celestia tilted her head slightly. “So this is how it is, hmm? Staying together the night ...I didn’t know you leaned that way.” She remarked. Makoto didn’t know if her tone was teasing, or if it was mocking. It was hard to tell.

Again, before Sakura could answer, Aoi quickly interjected. “What? N-no! I was just really scared, so I asked Sakura to stay over...to protect me.” Sakura nodded, then added on, in a softer voice than last time. “Now that I see that you aren’t any danger, why did you come here? What do you want to say?”

“Ah, well, about that….You were right to be scared, Hina. Someone in this school is...dangerous. Leon got attacked, but he wasn’t the only one. He’s waking us all up so we can corner and catch that person..”

While Sakura’s face didn’t change, Hina, who stepped aside and was now clearly visible, paled. “N-No way one of us would try to kill! Are you sure about that, Makoto?”

Makoto’s shoulders slumped slightly. “I didn’t want to believe it either. I don’t think any of us has it in them to kill. But...there isn’t any other option. From what I’ve seen, it’s the only conclusion..”

Hina looked down, staring at her feet. “Still, I don’t want to believe that one of my friends is a…”

“I’m going.”

This time, Sakura was the one who spoke over Hina. “If you need to make sure that the attempted killer is stopped, I’m your best bet. Plus, I’d like to see what happened for myself. Sorry, Hina.”

Hina looked up at her friend, and clenched her fist. “I-...if you’re going, then I’m going too.”

Sakura stared at her for a few seconds, before nodding her head and leaving the room. Hina followed shortly after. Makoto turned around to talk to Celeste, but she was gone, too. Sighing internally, he went further down the hallway, in search for his Ultimate Assistant.

A few moments later, Makoto found himself face to face with a door that intimidated him. He looked at the name plaque.

_ Byakuya Togami _

Makoto gulped, then knocked on the door twice. After a few minutes, the doorknob turned, and Makoto stared up at the tall and lanky figure of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny himself.

“What do you want?” He said, almost spat out, in a very hostile tone. This was. Going to be hard…

“W-Well, you see, someone in this school attempted to attack Leon, but he managed to fight them off, so now we’re waking people up to corner the attacker…”

Makoto expected Byakuya to shut the door on him. To scoff at him, to call him a peasant. What he didn’t expect, however, was for Byakuya’s annoyed scowl to transform into an amused smile.

“So the first move has been played, then? How...interesting. A failed attempt, too.” He pushed the frame of his glasses upwards, stabilizing them. “Very well then. I will join you, if only to see what’s happening with my very own eyes.” He stepped outside of his room and closed the door. 

That went...a lot easier than expected. He seemed pretty excited about this entire situation. Makoto turned around and knocked on the next door, which happened to be Toko’s, and, surprisingly, the answer was almost immediate, as the door slightly opened and he heard Toko’s voice.

“G-go away! W-what are you doing, knocking at my door this late at night?”

As he was about to explain the situation, he was cut off by Byakuya’s voice.

“Leave her. There’s no real need to bring her with us. I would like for us not to waste any more time.”

Makoto then heard a small gasp from behind Toko’s door, and, after a few seconds, she fully opened the door and stepped out.

“F-Fine, I’ll come out. What do you want, anyways?”

Makoto started explaining the situation to her, and, as a group of other students came to fill her up on more details, Makoto walked the hallway and found himself in front of Kyoko Kirigiri’s door. He knocked on the door, and, after a minute or two, she opened the door and immediately came out. 

“What happened?” She asked, in a direct fashion.

“There’s been an attacker, but Leon managed to fend them off, and now we’re waking everybody else to be able to corner them.”

Kyoko placed her hand on her chin, thinking for a while, and then curtly nodded. “I see.” She then walked towards Leon. 

As she was walking towards him, an unease started taking control of Makoto. Slightly panicking, he made a headcount of everyone present. In total, he counted thirteen people. Including himself, that's fourteen.

Makoto gulped, as he felt his heart sink, as he came upon a sudden realization. If none of those people were the attacker, then….

The attacker couldn’t be anyone other than Sayaka herself.

  
  


* * *

Hesitantly, Makoto approached Leon, who had just finished talking to Yasuhiro. “Leon, the person that attacked you...do you know who she is?” Makoto asked, hoping that his conclusion was wrong.

“Oh, it was Sayaka. She invited me to her room, and then attacked me with a knife. I seriously thought I was done for, man...thankfully, I managed to grab on to some sort of display sword and fight her off. She currently locked herself in her bathroom”

His head hurt. So it was true. Sayaka was the one to attack Leon. Maybe Leon was the one who tried forcing himself into Sayaka’s room, and he’s just bluffing? Makoto didn’t want to accuse him of lying, but…

“By the way, did you try forcing your way in her room earlier this night? Before all of this happened?” He asked. Maybe it’s just a giant misunderstanding, maybe Sayaka was just acting in self defense. There’s no way Sayaka Maizono would try to kill someone. No way..

“What? No! Why the fuck would you think that? I just got an invitation to meet her in her room, I didn’t need to force myself in! Plus, why would I, dude?” Leon replied. He seemed genuinely surprised by that accusation.

Still, maybe...hold on a second. He mentioned the golden sword, which was only present in Makoto’s room! If he was really invited to Sayaka’s room, then he would have tried to knock on the room Makoto was sleeping in instead. Makoto faced Leon, and opened his mouth, ready to prove Sayaka’s innocence and Leon’s contradiction, until…

From the corner of his eye, Makoto saw his door. And next to his door, was Sayaka’s nameplate. He felt as if a hammer hit his chest as he turned to look at Sayaka’s door, and, as expected, it had Makoto’s nameplate. His head hurt. The nameplates were switched. Who could have done it? Leon and the others didn’t know that he and Sayaka switched rooms, and Makoto didn’t switch them himself…

The realization hit like a punch to the gut. There’s no other option, the only one who could possibly have switched the nameplates was...Sayaka herself. But why? Does this mean that she really did plan an attack? Makoto found it very hard to believe, but...the evidence was there. He closed his eyes and thought about her. Sayaka, his Ultimate Assistant, her remarks about being psychic, her smile that could easily put him at ease....

...Sayaka, the girl that was scared after seeing her motive video. Sayaka, the girl who was on the verge of breaking down, who wanted to get out no matter what. Sayaka, the girl with a dream. He...he had to accept it. Sayaka attacked Leon. But ...what are they going to do to her? As if on cue, he heard Leon’s voice, as he was heading out of his room having grabbed something.

“Alright, it seems like everyone is here. Let’s enter Sayaka’s room and expose her for who she is!”

Slowly, people started entering Sayaka’s room- no,  _ his _ room, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. And as Makoto entered himself, he noticed that his room, the room where he let Sayaka stay for a single night, had been completely transformed. There are slashes and gouges on the walls and on the floor, everything was in complete disarray, the golden replica sword lay on the ground, unsheathed, right next to a plain kitchen knife. Even the bed has been damaged. 

Makoto felt a revolting sickness as he tried to understand what happened. It’s real. What happened was real. This is no dream. And Sayaka...really did attack someone. Makoto could barely even say the phrase in his head, much less say it out loud. He doesn’t want it to be true….

“Dude, no matter what you say, I call bullshit! No way a girl like that would attack you!” Mondo said, as he stepped over the replica sword on the ground.

“I’m telling you, man, that crazy bitch attacked me with a fucking kitchen knife! If it wasn’t for blind luck, I would’ve been dead!” Leon replied, as he reached for something he brought with him. He was probably very nervous, as he was shaking and his language was getting more extreme. Makoto...didn’t think that Leon was lying. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise.

“While miss Maizono does seem very nice, in manga it’s always the so-called “nice girls” that end up being knife-wielding serial killers!” Hifumi stated. No...Sayaka wasn’t a serial killer, there’s no way.

“S-serial killers? There can’t p-possibly be a serial killer in this s-school, can there?” Said Toko, eyes darting all around the place.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Leon, you better not have brought me here for no reason.” Byakuya replied, impatiently. He seemed to be ... excited? 

“Yeah, yeah, I know...just need to force open this door to see that fucking bitch’s-” Leon said, as he was nervously and angrily fumbling around with a toolkit.

Ah. So that’s what he got from his room..Since he thinks this is Sayaka’s room, instead of Makoto’s, he probably thinks Sayaka locked herself inside. Makoto gulped, fathered his courage, and approached the door as he spoke up.

“Ah, actually, the door isn’t locked. You just gotta open it a certain way…” he said, as he pulled up while opening the door. And then, he saw…

Sayaka. She was sitting down, hugging her knees with one arm while the other was helplessly limp. Her wrist seemed to be broken, and her face was devoid of any color. And she was looking at him. Her eyes were soulless, lifeless, yet afraid. A few tears were running down her eyes, but she made no sound. She just stared at him with those scared, lifeless eyes, ignoring all the commotion happening around him.

Looking at her like that, Makoto couldn’t help but feel overwhelming pity as he saw her, sitting there all alone. What were the rest of the students going to do now? What will happen to her? Makoto promised to protect Sayaka, to keep her safe and make sure she gets out of this place, and, looking at her, all he could think of was that he failed. He failed horribly.

“S-See?! I told you I wasn’t lying! She really lured me here and tried to kill me with a knife!” Shouted Leon, looking at everyone’s faces, in an  _ I told you so  _ moment.

“Interesting ...yes, very interesting indeed! So, the game has officially started, and the first predator has become the prey.” 

Makoto couldn’t bother trying to identify the voices anymore, all he could focus on was Sayaka and those big, scared, empty eyes of hers. He failed.

“So someone r-r-really did it? Maaan, I thought that this was just a prank…”

“I-I didn’t want to believe it ...Sayaka..”

“Tch. Guess I was wrong, then.”

“N-no way...I thought…”

“Well, there is no point just looking at this pathetic display, is there? I suggest we find ways to restrain her, to make sure that a snake like her never bites again.”

Upon hearing that, Makoto snapped back to reality. Those words came from Celeste, who looked at Sayaka with an indifferent expression. Restrain her? What is she talking about?

“Restrain her? Why? Sayaka’s a good person, she was just scared! I know she attacked Leon, but-“ Makoto tried to interject, but was cut off

“Celestia’s right, Makoto.” Kyoko said, in a calm and collected voice. “I know you were close to her, and I know that those videos played a big role in what happened, but what she did is not something that can be simply ignored, no matter the type of person she is.”

“I-I know, but still!” Makoto said, as he tried to push his way forward to defend her if need be. 

Suddenly, he was lifted up from his feet, and began to be carried away from the bathroom.

“H-Hey! Let go of me, please! I really need to-“ He tried complaining.

“I know.” He heard a voice behind him say, coming from the man who was picking him up and carrying him out of the bathroom, and now out of his own room, too. It belonged to Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, and the man who knocked him out during his first day here. “We can talk about it outside.”

  
  


Unable to resist, Makoto was carried by Mondo out of his room, and was set on the floor of the hallway. Mondo then sat down near the entrance to the room, preventing his reentry to the room, and motioned Makoto to sit down next to him. He reluctantly obliged, scared at what the larger man might say.

“Listen man, I get ya. Hell, I didn’t want it to be true either. I never thought a girl could do something like that. But, shit, the evidence’s there. What the hell can you about it?” He said, in a less abrasive tone than usual.

“I...I get it, Sayaka attacked, but...she did so because she was scared! She shouldn’t be to blame for this!” He tried replying, although his arguments sounded empty, even to him.

“Do you blame Leon, then? Or any of the other shitheads in that room? Do you think that they’re doin’ wrong?” Mondo asked

“Well, no..but still! It’s Monokuma’s fault!” He tried arguing, but as soon as he said his name, the monochrome bear himself appeared in the hallway, snickering to himself.

“Speak of the fucking devil-“ Mondo stood up, and Makoto soon followed suit. The cause of all his problems was standing right in front of Makoto. He tried containing himself from attacking Monokuma, as much as he wanted to.

“You! What are you..doing here! You’re the cause of all of that!” He shouted at the bear, but his words went from one bear ear to another.

“Upupupu..” Monokuma snickered “Am I the one who tricked someone and attacked him at night? I think not! Who knew sweet, innocent Sayaka was hiding this all along? I did!”

“D-Don’t act like you’re not the one who showed her those videos! Who made her feel scared!” He shouted back, but again, the bear couldn’t relent.

“But everything I showed in the videos was true! It seems like you don’t want to accept, that your dear Sayaka has fallen to  _ Despair _ . Upupupupupupu!”

“Oh, shut the hell up about your despair, and fuck off!” Mondo shouted at Monokuma, looking as irritated as Makoto felt.

“Well, since you asked me so kindly, I will! Although, you know what. It’s a shame she failed. I can’t help but imagine how it would be like if Sayaka succeeded in her plan, and you had to uncover that she did it! So much sadness! So much despair! So much fun!”

With that, Monokuma went away, and Makoto and Mondo sat back down again, relieved by Monokuma leaving but still tense due to the situation at hand.

A few minutes passed by, in complete silence, before another word was uttered.

“So, why do you care that much, anyways? Ya like her or something?” Mondo asked, looking down at the floor.

“N-No, I mean..I..I made a promise to her.” Makoto replied

“A promise?” Mondo straightened up and looked Makoto in the eye, curious.

“Yeah. I promised her that, no matter what, I’ll help her get out of this school. That I’ll keep her safe. And I..wasn’t going to back down on my promise.”

“It would hurt your pride as a man, right? I see now. You know, I used to think you were just a spineless bitch, but I respect ya a hell of a lot more, now that you said that.”

Makoto scratched his cheek. “Thanks, I guess?”

“Promises should always be kept. No matter what. You ain’t a man if you break one, so I see why you tried to argue, back then. But, honestly, I don’t think a guy with no meat on his bones like you can stand a chance against them all, even if I joined in on your side. I ain’t smart, so, I don’t know what you should do, but try and find another way, you hear me? Shit, this is my first time trying to be all wise and stuff, too.”

He could feel like something changed in Mondo’s demeanor, especially when he mentioned promises. And, well, he was making a good point too. There’s no way Makoto could have fought them off by himself.

“Mondo, you’re actually a nice guy, you know that?”

“Tch. Leave that for later. You should probably get some sleep now. You can’t do shit right now, anyways.”

Makoto nodded, and stood up. He looked back at his room, which was filled with all the other Ultimates, including Sayaka. Sighing internally, he entered Sayaka’s room again. Guess he was going to sleep there again, after all.

Let’s hope nothing bad happens the second time.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as promised, chapter 1 is done! With over 5x the word count of the prologue! Hooray!
> 
> From now on, I think the chapters will mostly be from Makoto’s or Sayaka’s perspective, but there will hopefully also be other points of view sprinkled in, too.
> 
> Also, therapist Mondo is something I never thought I wanted but now I need it.


	3. Sayaka I: Dissonance

Sayaka Maizono wished she was dead. She wished that Leon Kuwata broke into the bathroom and killed her, instead of exposing her like this. Because, in that situation… She was as good as dead, anyways. 

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. Her heart was racing, yet her mind was strangely devoid of emotion. She just looked at Makoto, thinking about how she betrayed him, how she betrayed everyone in here… And how the world betrayed her. She could see how scared he was. Out of the corner of her eyes, she managed to catch a few facial expressions. Indifference, disgust, betrayal, fear...

Her image was ruined. She could see their mouths moving, but she couldn’t make sense of the words. She had to focus on what they were saying… It has to be important… But is there really a point? She failed. And she wasn’t even granted a quick, swift punishment either.

Suddenly, her eyes spotted movement. She saw Makoto try to push his way forward, trying to get to her. Did he want revenge? Did he feel like he needed to pay her back for how she betrayed him? She wouldn’t blame him for that. This was just the nature of the world. Still, something seemed off about his facial expression… She was always good at reading people, and Makoto in particular, and he didn’t really seem angry, like Leon did. However, she didn’t think much of it. Her brain was a mess right now, so she could just be reading him wrong. She probably was.

She then saw Mondo lift Makoto up and carry him away from the bathroom. Maybe they wanted her unharmed. Sayaka felt her thoughts clear up a little, as she tried to calm herself down and force herself to listen to the words being said. They were definitely discussing her fate, or what to do with her. Even if her life is pretty much over, she still had to listen.

“-troublesome boy. He can’t help but let his emotions get the better of him. We must be rational in times like this” Celestia said. She was probably referring to Makoto, trying to get his revenge on her. No matter how nice he is, there’s no way he could forgive her after this. And… Shedoesn’t deserve forgiveness.

“So, like, are we gonna tie her up? That would be great, honestly. Nobody else would have to get attacked by her. And, now that everyone’s seen her for the backstabbing bitch she is, she won’t fool anyone, either” Said Leon. She’s going to be...tied up? Maybe that’s what they were talking about when she wasn’t focusing. This is going to 

be a problem...

“Well, I’m not sure about the  _ anyone _ part” Kyoko said, looking at the exit. “Anyways, I don’t recall seeing a rope while exploring the school. Although, we might be able to find alternatives that can do the same job”

“While I am usually against tying up a fellow classmate, her actions are unforgivable! Sayaka, I ask of you: Why did you attempt such a thing? How could you give in to that bear?!” Kiyotaka shouted.

Sayaka could do nothing other than look at the ground in shame. What was she supposed to tell him? She couldn’t just explain everything that was going through her mind that night. It would take forever...and plus, she wasn’t willing to share it with such a large group.

“L-Leave it be… It’s obvious why… S-she’s just a selfish, two faced girl! I-I bet she thinks her p-perfect idol life is worth so much more than ours!” Toko sputtered. It wasn’t the whole reason, but… Sayaka couldn’t say she wasn’t completely wrong, either.

At that moment, Mondo Owada came back, carrying in his hands some keys, which Sayaka recognized as being the keys to this room. Makoto’s room. 

“So, I just found those keys on the floor. Think they’re the keys to this room or something.” He said, looking at her. “I’d like it if she wasn’t tied up, so maybe we can just lock her inside the room.”

“Developing a soft spot for her?” Junko asked curiously, hand on her hip. “I didn’t expect you to be into idol girls. Plus, like, she’s totally evil and stuff. Don’t know what you see in her.”

“What? Fuck no! It’s nothin’ like that. I was just asking for someone else’s sake.” Mondo replied quickly. Someone else, huh? Wonder who that could be...it could also just be an excuse.

“Anyways, we have already established that this girl is a dangerous person willing to kill, right?” Byakuya said, breaking the small silence after Mondo’s statement. “Furthermore, we don’t have any rope for now. Even if it’s for different reasons, I also agree that locking her in the room is the best course of action, for now at least.”

Almost everyone else nodded, and went back to talking. Sayaka’s concentration, however, began to run out, as her broken wrist started hurting more than ever, and the reality of the situation started to set in. This wasn’t a dream, this was real, and her life is completely ruined. She closed her eyes and started slowly breathing in and out, trying to keep herself calm. 

  
  
  


After a time that felt like a few minutes, but which could have been more, Sayaka heard the door to the room shut. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and tried to stand up. The first time, she tried lifting herself up using her arms, but the pain in her wrist flared up. The second time, she went on her knees, and tried only using her uninjured arm to lift herself up. After managing to do so, she left the bathroom, expecting to find an empty room. 

Instead, she found Kyoko Kirigiri, sitting calmly on Makoto’s bed. Their eyes met, and Sayaka instinctively moved back a step. Why was she here? Didn’t everyone leave?

Kyoko stood up, still looking at her, and then opened her mouth.

“Sayaka Maizono. I was starting to think that you wouldn’t come out of the bathroom. Take a seat. I have some… Questions.” Kyoko said.

Sayaka opened her mouth, but, unsure of how to answer, closed it back without saying a single word. Reluctantly, she sat down on the bed, and looked away.

“Still not in the mood to talk? That’s unfortunate, if not understandable. Let me just get straight to the point, then. This isn’t your room, is it?”

Sayaka felt her heart stop, as a lump started forming in her throat. She expected that people would find it out once they asked Makoto about it, but not that early. How did she… “... How?” She asked, in a weak voice.

“Well, the evidence is there. First of all, the bathroom door didn’t have a lock. Makoto managed to open it on his own. Plus, while waiting for you to come out of the bathroom, I had a… Look around.” Kyoko said, holding up a toolkit. “These aren’t available in girls’ rooms, isn’t that correct?”

“So… What you’re saying is..” 

“I think… No, I’m pretty sure that we are currently in Makoto Naegi’s room, and that you were planning to pin the crime on him. It is the only reasonable conclusion.”

Sayaka looked down, refusing to meet Kyoko’s eyes. She was right, of course. But how could Sayaka respond to that? And.. Most importantly… How did Kyoko manage to figure out everything that fast?

“Here’s what I assume happened. You somehow managed to convince Makoto to switch rooms with you, since that boy seemed to trust you with his life. In other sense, an ideal victim. Maybe you acted afraid, or threatened, so that you could manipulate him into doing that. However, your plan started before that, didn’t it? Since the kitchen is closed during nighttime.” 

She walked around the room, picking up the knife that was lying on the ground “This was your would-be murder weapon. Are my assumptions correct so far?” She asked.

How. How? How could she figure it out this quickly? It couldn’t have been more than an hour, and she seemed to be with the rest of the group during most of that time. Was her plan that obvious?

“Next, you managed to convince Leon to come to your room at night, either during the day, or via a note. You probably knew he had a small crush on you, so you knew he wouldn’t refuse an idol inviting him to her room at night. You thought you could stab him as soon as he entered, therefore pinning the crime on Makoto, and escaping.”

She walked over, heading to the golden sword and scabbard, before picking it up, getting gold dust all over her gloves. “However, Leon used that golden sword, and managed to defend himself with it. The markings on your wrist are enough evidence of that, I would say.” She said, showing Sayaka the gold flakes on her gloves that matched the ones on her wrist.

She then dropped the sword, and knelt down, and slowly traced her finger over the marks on the floor. “This is also evidence of a struggle. Your scheme did not go according to plan, and now, here we are.” She then stood up. “So, Sayaka Maizono, did I say anything wrong?” Kyoko asked sharply.

The plan… She had no idea it was so transparent. No idea that her entire scheme would be uncovered within a matter of minutes by a single high schooler. How could she come up with a plan that was that bad? Even if she had managed to kill Leon, it seemed Kyoko would have found out it was her right away. She was doomed from the start. All she could do know, though, was shamefully nod her head. “It was… That obvious, huh…”

“Maybe. I don’t think everybody here would have found out as quickly, though. I wonder how I did…” Kyoko seemed to mull this over. Oh, right, she was an amnesiac. “Anyways, I have another question for you. Your motive video was a big part of the reason you did this, correct? You seemed to be holding it together until then.”

Sayaka nodded. She would have liked to forget about the video, if she could. Sadly, that image was burned into her mind for eternity. Her bandmates, laying down on the floor of the stage… Unconscious… Or maybe even dead. She shuddered. It had to be fake, it had to!

“I figured so. May I see it, then?” She asked.

Sayaka recoiled instinctively. There’s no way she was going to let anyone see her video, that’s for sure. Even if they specifically asked for it… She wasn’t going to just expose herself like this. And even if she did…

“I threw it away.”

“I see.” Kyoko said, after pondering for a while. Upon doing so, she walked to the door and left the room. Soon after, Sayaka heard the door lock. It seemed that she was trapped in that room now, alone with her thoughts. Saying that it was a less than ideal situation would have been an understatement.

Sayaka lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, in a futile attempt to fall asleep. But she couldn’t. Not after everything that happened. She kept thinking about the day’s events, how things could have gone differently, how she could have avoided being in this situation.

Her mind started to wander even more, as her heart started beating faster and faster as she started realizing the full weight of her situation. Her life is ruined. Completely and utterly ruined. Even if she manages to escape...Everyone in this school now knows her for who she is. They can now see how much of a rotten, manipulative person she can be. And, even if everyone escapes, they’ll just expose her to the world. Her idol career will be ruined, she might even face prison, and her dream...Will be gone.  _ That is, unless they don’t es- _

No, no, NO! She shouldn’t think about that sort of thing. She’s already been corrupted enough, already sacrificed everything she could for the sake of her dream. But still, she shouldn’t wish for… But..  _ What other choice is there _ ? Wait, no, there’s now way that she could.. That she should…

Sayaka tried her best to suppress that tiny voice that’s speaking atrocities in her head. She..already gave in to it once today, and look where it got her. So she tried her best to ignore it. To stay sane. How… How did she end up this way? All she wanted was to be a successful pop star… To make people happy… To lift people up when they’re feeling down…

How did it make her become... _ this _ ?

Seconds turned to minutes, which turned into hours. Sayaka couldn’t sleep, and instead, spent the rest of the night alone with her thoughts, trying to sort out what’s happened, to calm herself down, or thinking about how she can manage to salvage her future, her dream, her life. And she only had one answer to that.

She can’t.

* * *

  
  


**Ding dong, bing bong**

Sayaka wasn’t able to get a single moment of sleep, as she spent the entire night in an internal panic. She probably wouldn’t have realized that daytime came if it wasn’t for the morning announcement. Still, it’s not like it mattered to her anyways. She was confined to this room, at least, until the other classmates find some sort of rope or handcuffs, but it’s not like the alternative is much better, either. Still, morning meant that the water was running again, so she stood up, and headed to the bathroom to wash herself.

As she washed her face, she looked up at the mirror, and saw a pale, ghostly face, with bags under its eyes. She could scarcely believe that the face was hers. So, not only was she an emotional wreck, she was a physical wreck, too. Still, she should try to at least look better.

Staring at the mirror, she tried using one of her standard smiles, that she always wears, both onstage and off the stage, too. Still, while she thought she had mastered the expression, it seemed… Fake. Unauthentic. She hasn’t seen a fake smile of hers look that obvious in years. Maybe it’s because of how, deep inside, she knows that not even the most radiant of smiles can restore her reputation. Still, she tried her best to imitate it, to get as close as possible to the real thing. But it just didn’t work.

Suddenly, she heard some faint knocking on the door. Fixing her hair, Sayaka walked to the door, tried applying one of her usual smiles, and put her hand over the handle. Yesterday night, she couldn’t bring herself to show any emotion, and even now, her fake smile is extremely obvious, but that’s what she was born and raised to do. Then, she tried opening the door..

Only for it not to budge. Oh, right, it’s locked from the outside. I guess they knocked to make sure she was awake, then. Using her left hand, she knocked back. The door then opened to show Aoi Asahina and Celestia Ludenberg, each carrying something in their arms.

“Hey. Are you hungry?” Said Hina, holding out some breakfast food. Nothing too fancy, just the normal food found in the kitchen, maybe leftovers from breakfast, but Sayaka was starving, so she immediately reached out and grabbed the food. 

“Thank you” Sayaka said, trying to sound polite, although there really wasn’t a point anymore, considering what just happened. Still, habits were… Hard to break.

“Hiding behind a fake smile again, I see?” Celestia said, spotting her bluff immediately. She was the Ultimate Gambler for a reason, it seems. Or maybe Sayaka was just too obvious. “How pathetic. Do not think that we are going to forget what you did just because you are going to act all nice and happy again.”

Sayaka nodded, and relaxed her face, letting go of the smile. Of course, she was right, only confirming what Sayaka was thinking. It was simply… Worth a try. 

“Hey, come on, you didn’t have to put it like that, you know?” Replied Hina. “Anyways, there’s no real need to thank us for the food. What else could we do, let you starve? We couldn’t let you eat with us, despite how much Makoto was pushing for it.”

Upon hearing that, the food caught in Sayaka’s throat, as she choked on it for a few seconds before forcing it down. What? No, she must have misheard it...

“You’re saying that Makoto wanted me to eat with you? That he wasn’t angry at me?”

“I haven’t really known Makoto for long, but does he really strike you as the type of person that can really feel that way?” Said Hina. “Leon, on the other hand...yeah. But Makoto didn’t even want you to be locked up. Didn’t you see what happened yesterday? He tried to stop the group when they were planning to restrain you”

“I...Wasn’t listening. I assumed he was moving to...Attack me. After what I’ve done.” Sayaka said, looking down. She wasn’t sure how to feel about this. She felt both relief, and… Was that anger?

“Oh, yes, that was a dirty move, by the way. Kyoko told us all about it during breakfast” Stated Celeste, holding a… Whip? “Anyways, we have found an alternative for a rope in the weird Machine, and, being the Ultimate Gambler, I got it right away. So, mademoiselle, hold out your hands.”

Saying no other options, Sayaka resigned herself to her fate and extended her arms, holding out her hands in the girls’ direction. However-

“Ah! My wrist...”

They weren’t really paying attention to where they were tying it, so they tied it around her wrists, which made the broken wrist on her right hand hurt a lot. Muttering apologies, Hina moved the whip upwards, and tied it somewhere along the middle of her forearms.

“Anyways, you will be returned to your room, this instance.” Said Celeste, holding the door open for her. Meanwhile, Hina picked up the plate of half eaten food. Seeing no other option, Sayaka exited Makoto’s room, following the two girls.

Celeste then opened the door to her room, the name plaques back at their correct places, and Sayaka slowly walked in. Hina quickly followed, placing the plate on the floor, before walking back out.

“There you go, Madame. Here is your tower, where you shall stay. Sadly for you, I don’t think your Prince Charming is very capable of freeing you from it.” Celeste said, smiling, before closing the door, trapping Sayaka in a room once again. 

Alone in her room, Sayaka stood still for a few seconds.

Slowly, her vision blurred as tears began filling her eyes. Unable to hold it in anymore, Sayaka Maizono slowly fell to her knees, sobbing on the floor, unable to stop the tears. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, sorry this took a bit more time than the last one! I hope you enjoy this chapter. (And I’m sorry that the Makoto/Sayaka meeting had to wait till another chapter, but I felt like it works better from Makoto’s POV)
> 
> Anyways, I haven’t yet completely decided on all the killers, so, here’s a hypothetical question, in case I decide to do this: If one of the killers turns out to be a killer in DR1, too, would you want me to reuse their old execution, or to write a new one?


End file.
